What was, what is, what will yet be
by Rinku no Kurai
Summary: *SPOILERS FOR Persona 3* A different take on how Minato Arisato's contract is fulfilled... starting with the battle with Nyx, and what will come to be after. *CURRENTLY A ONESHOT, MAY BECOME MORE DEPENDING ON RECEPTION*


Author's Notes: _I've been playing a lot of P3 and P4 lately, and after playing both games I still like P3 better, but based on the endings I really feel screwed in how P3 ended. If you haven't played all the way through, then lease refrain from reading anything else of this unless you really don't care about spoilers. In any case, Minato Arisato (For those who haven't read the manga, this is P3's main character) seals away Nyx, the embodiment of death at the cost of his own life. His soul becomes the wall that seals Nyx, and three months later after fulfilling his promise to meet up with his friends at graduation, his body finally dies. This is going to be at the end of the game, but minus the whole.. Well, death. So because of this, numerous things will be different from the actual ending, including actual lines just so I can be original. This'll also definitely take an intriguing look at more than one of the Velvet Room contracts, not just Minato's. In any case, I may or may not continue this, for now it's a one shot. If I do more than this it'll probably turn into a Minato/Mitsuru or Minato/Aigis fic, depending on any input I get for this._

_Top of Tarturus; January 31__st__ 2010_

The sheer force Nyx bore down on S.E.E.S. was enough to bring every member to their knees, if not lower for some. Clutching his blade, Minato Arisato tried to force himself to his feet. _"This can't be how it ends… damn it, we've fought too hard to beat this thing for it to be invincible!" _he thought to himself, looking to his comrades. Everyone was struggling, but none of them could get to their feet… was this the power of those calling out to Nyx? "Is… a desire for death… really the only driving force of all these people!?" the blue haired youth asked, his vision suddenly becoming hazy. _"No, I can't pass out… we.. We can still fight!" _

But for all his effort, Minato's consciousness faded, and instead he found himself awoken in the all too familiar Velvet Room. "Igor, Elizabeth, I don't have time for this! I.. I have to…" Minato was at a loss for words. He couldn't argue the fact that even if they sent him back, his chances of even being able to stand, let alone fight, were next to nothing. "…was all of this for nothing..? All these links to people I've made, all these experiences… all the things we've tried to do to stop the end of the world, and it's still going to come!?"

Igor merely smirked at his familiar guest, standing up as he did his best to stand, leaning gingerly on a cane. "Well, my honored guest, you truly have made a lot of bonds that reflect just how strong your power has become. Can you hear all of them calling out to you? Even if so many wish for Nyx's absolution, those close to you wish only to help you stop it." Igor explained. Minato closed his eyes, listening for these voices as Igor's smirk grew larger, as if he too heard all those calling out to him. "This power you've built up is far greater than when you began your journey with Orpheus by your side. Now, this power… it will create a power strong enough to stop Nyx." Igor explained. "But, you must remember your contract…"

Minato cringed, knowing that finally whatever was to become of his contract would finally present itself. "What's the cost of all this, then?" he asked, grimly awaiting his fate.

Elizabeth spoke before her master could, answering for him. "Merely what we asked, that you accept the consequences of your actions. The cost of that will likely be your power, at least to some extent…" Elizabeth explained in an attempt to remain mysterious.

Minato merely clenched his hands on the arm rests of his chair. "My power… so my Persona? My ability to use more than one Persona? Or… my life? Which is it?" he asked, doing his best to remain calm.

Igor's smirk faded slightly. "We don't know. So will you still stand fast to your contract, and stop Nyx?" the short man asked, a glowing card suddenly appearing between he and Minato, representing the world Arcana.

Looking at the card, Minato stood up as he tried his best to figure out if he had any choices here. He then thought of something, perhaps his driving force as he closed his eyes and grasped the card tightly in his right hand. "I never had a choice, anyway. Not for the contract, but there's… something I want to protect now. So… I guess this is it then, isn't it?" he asked, forcing a small smile for the two strange people he had spent so much time with over the last year.

Igor nodded faintly in response to the boy before him. "You truly have been a marvelous guest. We hope to see you again…"

And within a mere second Minato found himself right back where he had been, staring up at Nyx once more. Within his hand rested the World Arcana card still so he realized he hadn't been imagining his trip to the Velvet Room. _"Guess I've got no choice…" _he thought to himself, suddenly feeling light… floating effortlessly upwards. He heard his friends calling out to him, but all he could do was turn around and smile at them. "Sorry." There were no other words to say besides that… he didn't have any right to force this burden on them, though.

Instead he just continued traveling upwards until with little explanation he stood in what he could only assume was within Nyx itself. And here, the true incarnation of death rested awaiting him. Gritting his teeth, Minato once more took up his sword. _"Whatever happens from here, happens…" _he thought to himself, moving his one handed sword to his left hand while grasping his Evoker with his right hand. Running forward to attack he instead found himself hurled backwards and into what felt like a wall, yet nothing rested behind him.

"_No, you can't give up! Take my life if it'll give you enough power to fight!" _came the familiar voice of Mitsuru.

"_We've got too much ahead of us to just give up because of this thing. Let's kick its ass and go home!" _Junpei encouraged.

Suddenly, Minato felt a bit stronger. _"I can still do this…" _he reminded himself mentally, bringing his Evoker to his head and firing. "Orpheus!" his cry released his first Persona, now much stronger than at its _birth_, as the harpist released a powerful Almighty attack, Morning Star. But for all its power, Orpheus soon was blasted by a powerful energy wave, sending it to its knees, Minato meeting an equally painful fate.

"_Don't give up, you can still do this!" _Yukari cheered on.

"_We're on the ropes now, but we can't go out till the final bell has rung!" _Akihiko mentioned, equating the fight of their life to what else, a boxing match.

"_I promised I'd stay by your side and protect you, but now it looks like you're doing that for me…" _came the soft voice of Aigis. Then a bark came soon after. _"Koromaru-San also wishes to be able to protect you, so you must return to us."_

"_I've finally decided to keep going, both for my Mom and Shinjiro-San… so, please, don't give up!" _Ken shouted confidently.

"_It's not over yet, it just can't be… I believe in you!" _Fuuka chirped out, a hint of fear in her voice, just as had been in the others' voices.

Then, finally, one last voice that Minato easily recognized called out to him, that of Shinjiro. _"All right, let's do this… no reason for you to end up here just yet…" _

The encouragement of his friends brought Minato to his feet once more, dropping his sword first, then his Evoker as he felt overwhelmed with power. "Orpheus… Thanatos.. Messiah…" Minato whispered, Orpheus returning to its feet, and Thanatos and Messiah appearing from within their master. _"It's… the end, now." _he whispered, his lips curving into a smirk. Whatever happened from here happened. Lifting his left arm to the sky he pointed. "Go…" was all Minato managed out, his three most powerful Persona letting loose a powerful attack that ripped through Death, leaving in place a petrified statue. Dropping to his knees, Minato looked up at his three other selves, smiling some. "It's over, then… you guys… should rest…" he whispered, watching however as Thanatos began to petrify as well, then as nothing more than a statue rested where it was it crumbled.

Confused at first, he soon rationalized why… because Thanatos had been infused with power from Pharos… Ryoji, who had been Nyx. With Nyx's fall, Thanatos couldn't exist, either. But its power needed somewhere to exist, and soon found it within Orpheus who took on a slightly altered appearance, his dark skin becoming pale, his hair golden, eyes blue and his armor red and gold. Thanatos's death had given rise to Orpheus Telos, something Minato would've appreciated were he not so tired. "Let's… go back to the others…" he whispered, smiling as his two Persona nodded, fading back within him.

The next thing he felt was his feet touching down atop Tarturus once more, his eyes casting themselves on his friends again. "Hey, everyone…" he whispered, grinning ear to ear. "Sorry.. To keep ya waiting." he mused, realizing just how weak he felt… suddenly collapsing forward. Arms encircled him quickly, but he couldn't hold his eyes open long enough to find out who. Sweet unconsciousness became the only thing to greet Arisato Minato.

_Sometime later, Senior Graduation day, Gekkokan High Roof_

Minato's head rested gently upon Aigis's lap as she spoke to him of all the things they'd endured. The others didn't remember their ordeals of fighting the shadows, and inevitably fighting and sealing off Nyx. As per Minato's contract, however, he retained the knowledge of all their Dark Hour exploits. And thanks to her artificial means of conception, so had Aigis. "They'll all remember soon, and they'll come looking for us… just rest until then, all right?" Aigis spoke, sounding more human than she ever had before.

All the young man could do was nod, smiling. "Yeah, you're right, Aigis… I just wish I knew why I felt so tired…" he whispered, closing his eyes. He could hear footsteps. _"My friends… they're here… I gotta get up… why can't I… get.." _his thoughts were cut short, suddenly finding consciousness fading. In its place he found the familiar Velvet Room, and his body was planted firmly in his equally as familiar seat. "I thought… it was all over?" Minato asked, looking to see that only Igor was there today, Elizabeth seemingly nowhere.

Igor, ever plastered with his usual grin, nodded. "It is, there is merely the means of ending our contract now. Going into sealing Nyx away, we did not know what would be taken from you to do so. Elizabeth went to find out what that was, and there she found the remains of Thanatos, but also something else. A piece of your power rests there, in the form of a small boy." Igor offered, idly stroking his chin.

"A… boy? You mean.." he could only choke on his own words, realizing just what the death of Thanatos had symbolized.

"The name you knew him by, or rather the first you knew him as, was Pharos. Then later, he took on an older guise, one you also befriended. Because he was born of you, or rather, his latest incarnate was… to best Nyx you had to surrender part of the power Pharos had offered you, the power of the Death Arcana."

Suddenly a feeling of… relief passed over Minato. "That's it?" he asked, somewhat surprising Igor by the look on the man's face. "I.. I don't know, it just seems like things could've easily gone a different way, and well, I don't want to think about what I would've been giving up in Thanatos's place." the azure haired youth admitted, standing up and stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Then, that weakness I felt… that I've been feeling the last few days… what was it?" he asked of Igor. "If there's something more to it, please, I want to know… I need to be ready if…"

Igor just shook his head however, a small, calmer than usual smile resting upon his lips. "No, this is the end of our contract. Your power is your's to do with as you like, it is just weakened due to the power you used creating the seal, and losing a full Arcana. Once you rest a bit longer, you'll become as powerful or more so than you ever were… but, whatever Persona you attain, or attempt to create, the power of Death shall never be your's again. Thanatos, and all your Death Arcana Persona have passed their power to Orpheus. That is why he became more powerful." the man on the other side of the table spoke.

All Minato could do was smile somewhat. "I see. Then, Ryoji… Pharos, whatever he was as a human was still alive within Nyx, anyway you look at it." he inquired, to which Igor could merely nod. "Then, my gift to him will be to continue to make sure that even if Nyx is sealed away that I live for myself and for my friend who can't be here anymore." he expressed earnestly, turning away from the table. "Will this be the last time we meet, Igor?" he asked, partially turning back to look at him.

Stroking his chin idly, Igor laughed. "I do not know, but whether the next guest I call here is you, or another, you will be most certainly the greatest guest I could have ever hoped for. I shall give Elizabeth a goodbye for you, for whenever she returns. Unless you wish to fill in as my assistant in her stead." he offered, something Minato could not distinguish as a joke or serious proposal.

But the blue haired teenager knew his offer already. "No, I can't. I have another promise to keep, one just as important as my contract was. They're waiting for me, aren't they?" he asked. Igor only nodded, opening the door leading back to where Minato had before been.

When he returned, it was as if nothing had ever happened. His head was still nestled gently in Aigis's lap, and at his side was his group of friends. "Hey, guys. I musta dosed off…" he said sheepishly.

Junpei just shook his head, sighing. "Man, you're hopeless. You don't get enough sleep in class when you're not paying attention?" he chastised his friend, grinning broadly.

"You're one to talk about that kind of stuff, _Stupei!_" Yukari chirped, sitting down next to Aigis, glancing over at Minato. "At least you looked more peaceful here than when you _do_sleep in class."

Standing in front of Minato, her arms gently placed under her chest, crossed, Mitsuru looked down on his face from above. "Hopefully sleeping in class will be something you learn to avoid before next year? After all, your only opposition for Student Council President will be Chihiro, and I don't think she's really going to run next year. It'd be bad for your reputation if you sleep that much in class."

The mood went suddenly from cheerful to slightly awkward with Mitsuru being so serious, giving a perfect opportunity for Ken to step in. "Besides that, uh, don't you have a lot to do to hopefully beat that guy you faced in the Kendo tournament? Can't forget that!"

Minato laughed softly, nodding. He then turned to Fuuka and Akihiko, who had been quiet the whole time. "What's wrong, you two?" he asked, canting his head to the side as he sat up off of Aigis's lap.

"W.. well, it's just, it's weird that we all forgot." Fuuka mentioned, blinking. "You and Aigis had both remembered?" she then asked, earning a nod from both. "It's as though it were fate for you two.."

Instantly Minato turned a bit red, shaking his head laughing. "Ahah, you're thinking too much into it, Fuuka." Akihiko interjected, saving Minato from embarrassment, and Aigis from trying to figure out what she'd meant. "Anyway… now that we all remember, why don't we head home to…"

"If you say _train_ Senpai, I'm gonna kick your ass!" Junpei retorted, gritting his teeth teasingly.

Realizing that he did seem to have a one track mind about that, Aki laughed. "Nah, I was gonna say there's one member who hasn't gotten to celebrate yet. We should get back to Koro, right?"

The group agreed, leaving together, with Minato staying behind briefly to watch the sky, as if searching for something. Even with everyone remembering, this was still for him a bittersweet moment. Something was truly off, and he knew that… it felt like something else should've happened here today, rather than this happy ending. _"This life, I won't take for granted. For whatever reason, in spite of losing friends along the way I can continue standing. That's what I have to appreciate." _he thought to himself.

"Arisato-kun, don't fall behind!" came Mitsuru, speaking in a more cheerful tone than he'd heard of her even before her Father's passing. "If you're thinking of going back to sleep, I swear you'll get an execution!"

Smiling, he turned around to face the red haired _Princess _of the Kirijo group. "I'm coming, Senpai. Just saying some goodbyes." he mentioned, walking up to Mitsuru and following her down the stairs.

"There's no reason for goodbyes, Akihiko and I are the ones saying goodbye to this school, you're still here for another year." she reminded, gently placing her hand on Minato's shoulder, before realizing her actions and quickly pulling away blushing.

But Minato just smiled, nodding. "Yeah, you're right… I shouldn't be saying goodbyes…" he added. _"Everyone who's not here are still looking over us, that's what matters." _he reminded himself, following Mitsuru back to the group.

_Elsewhere; Velvet Room_

Igor sighed softly as he watched the door open, revealing Elizabeth. "He was here before." he explained to her, as if knowing she'd inquire about Arisato before she could even speak of him.

The silver haired woman nodded, taking a seat at the table in the place where Minato usually had sat. "Does he… remember?" she asked, placing her hands softly against the table top.

"No, he doesn't remember that he was the seal. The implanted memories that he gave up Death are there. He and I spoke of it for some time before he returned to his world. His strength is returning to him." Igor explained, folding his hands under his chin as he continued to sit, his eyes drifting closed. "Are you certain this is your decision? I told him the boy, Pharos… Nyx's avatar, had created the seal."

Elizabeth did her best to smile, merely nodding. "He has a long life ahead of him… it was wrong of us to allow his soul to become the seal in the first place. My only concern is if he truly delves into what happened… or if he remembers when he _was _the seal…" she explained.

Igor just shook his head. "So long as someone fills the seal, he cannot remember. However… there is a window. Meaning…"

Elizabeth smiled, nodding. "I know, I have to go, do I not? I broke our contract to save that boy from his, therefore I will not be your assistant from this day on." she whispered. "Instead, I will be what Minato became, the seal to stop people from reaching out to Nyx and wishing for absolution. My life is my payment to make him not remember that month he was the seal, correct?" she inquired.

"Had we not taken him out when we did, his soul would've ceased to be… as well as the inability to remove the memories of that boy's death from the group's memory. Recreating nearly three months of reality proved taxing, even with our power." Igor reminded, sighing deeply, clearly now from fatigue. "At least our next guest will not be here for some time…"

"Your guest, you mean." Elizabeth corrected, to which Igor could only solemnly nod. "Margaret will do just fine, Master. I will miss this place, my dearest friend." she remarked. Igor again nodded, lifting his right hand and holding it out to Elizabeth. "Goodbye, Master."

"Goodbye, Elizabeth." Igor whispered as his former assistant disappeared, becoming the barrier to seal Nyx from Earth, and from the voices of the masses to reach out to Nyx. "And with this, my guest's destiny continues, and my assistant has fulfilled her contract…"

_Author's notes: _I just always kind of felt it was cop out that Minato dies/his soul becomes the seal against Nyx, but then in P4 Souji gets to kill Izanami and his big "consequence" was he has to move back to Mommy and Daddy's house. BAWWW. .; Anyway, personal complaint. If I get enough feed back I might continue this… as I said, as either Mitsuru/Minato or Aigis/Minato.


End file.
